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Engl Gigmaster 15 Mini Review
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Flying V
Jul 10, 2014, 12:47:20 PM7/10/14
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I went ahead and took the plunge--just bought an Engl Gigmaster amp/head! After spending about an hour with it last evening, here are some initial impressions/opinions.
The amp looks cool, right out of the box. I love the big chrome "ENGL" name plate on the front and the black chrome knobs are a nice touch, too. I'd read that these were being made in Korea. However, on the back of my amp it clearly says "Made in Germany." Tubes are 12ax7 & EL-84's.
There are a wide variety of tones available from this amp....though in my opinion, it's best suited for rock & roll.
It's got some nice features. For starters, it's a 2 channel amp, with the first channel considered the "clean" channel and the second, the "lead" channel. I will say--calling the first channel "clean" is somewhat misleading--as there ain't a lot of clean headroom here! But then, that's what I wanted....so no complaints. Plugging in my vintage Flying V (with a Dimarzio X2N in the bridge slot), it's easy to get tones that remind you of a Marshall JCM 800, but with a bit more low end punch. A guitar with less output would likely stay clean longer...until you really start to crank it up.
I could easily use the "clean" channel for my rhythm parts--no distortion pedal needed. Once you get the master up past 10 O'clock, it's crunch time! Nice, solid and chunky tones, with good note definition.
Switching over to the lead channel provides way more distortion/saturation, than I'll ever need! I found running the lead channel gain around 9 O'clock gave me incredible singing leads that almost sounded as if I was running a compressor. Note definition remained excellent, unless I went crazy with the input gain setting. You can make it sound buzzy if you want. Once I got things set the way I liked it, I was very pleased with my lead tone!
The one thing to remember--there is an input gain control that affects both channels. If you crank it, so that you get distorted tones on the clean channel, you're also hitting the lead channel really hard, too. So, you won't need to run the lead channel gain very high, at all.
On top of all that, there is a very handy foot-switchable mid boost for both channels. It really adds balls to rhythm tones, but I found I didn't need it. It sounds GREAT on the lead channel and adds a noticeable clarity to solos. Nice!!
On the back, there's an effects loop and a direct output for recording, etc. The amp also features a power soak & allows you to run it at full power (15 watts), 5 watts, 1 watt or speaker off. I have not had time to mess with this feature yet.
The one downside of the power soak--you can only use it with a single 8 ohm cab connected. That's not a huge problem for me, as I have multiple speaker cabs to choose from. Others may want to think about that, depending on what you have.
I've read these amps have a sound all their own. I guess that's true...but I don't think it sounds all that different from similar amps. The tone controls are very effective--more so than on your typical Marshall. I like that, as you can really get a huge variety of sounds from this little amp.
I do wish it came with a footswitch. You can use it to switch channels, or, for engaging the mid-boost. For $750, not including the footswitch was a little disappointing. I plan to get one...but that's another $120...unless I build my own.
This amp is a keeper, for sure! It's a nice addition to my collection of small tube amps & will likely become my main gig amp.
One of these days I'll open it up and have a look at the inside--build quality, etc. I wonder what brand of tubes it shipped with, too?
More later.....
Mike
The amp looks cool, right out of the box. I love the big chrome "ENGL" name plate on the front and the black chrome knobs are a nice touch, too. I'd read that these were being made in Korea. However, on the back of my amp it clearly says "Made in Germany." Tubes are 12ax7 & EL-84's.
There are a wide variety of tones available from this amp....though in my opinion, it's best suited for rock & roll.
It's got some nice features. For starters, it's a 2 channel amp, with the first channel considered the "clean" channel and the second, the "lead" channel. I will say--calling the first channel "clean" is somewhat misleading--as there ain't a lot of clean headroom here! But then, that's what I wanted....so no complaints. Plugging in my vintage Flying V (with a Dimarzio X2N in the bridge slot), it's easy to get tones that remind you of a Marshall JCM 800, but with a bit more low end punch. A guitar with less output would likely stay clean longer...until you really start to crank it up.
I could easily use the "clean" channel for my rhythm parts--no distortion pedal needed. Once you get the master up past 10 O'clock, it's crunch time! Nice, solid and chunky tones, with good note definition.
Switching over to the lead channel provides way more distortion/saturation, than I'll ever need! I found running the lead channel gain around 9 O'clock gave me incredible singing leads that almost sounded as if I was running a compressor. Note definition remained excellent, unless I went crazy with the input gain setting. You can make it sound buzzy if you want. Once I got things set the way I liked it, I was very pleased with my lead tone!
The one thing to remember--there is an input gain control that affects both channels. If you crank it, so that you get distorted tones on the clean channel, you're also hitting the lead channel really hard, too. So, you won't need to run the lead channel gain very high, at all.
On top of all that, there is a very handy foot-switchable mid boost for both channels. It really adds balls to rhythm tones, but I found I didn't need it. It sounds GREAT on the lead channel and adds a noticeable clarity to solos. Nice!!
On the back, there's an effects loop and a direct output for recording, etc. The amp also features a power soak & allows you to run it at full power (15 watts), 5 watts, 1 watt or speaker off. I have not had time to mess with this feature yet.
The one downside of the power soak--you can only use it with a single 8 ohm cab connected. That's not a huge problem for me, as I have multiple speaker cabs to choose from. Others may want to think about that, depending on what you have.
I've read these amps have a sound all their own. I guess that's true...but I don't think it sounds all that different from similar amps. The tone controls are very effective--more so than on your typical Marshall. I like that, as you can really get a huge variety of sounds from this little amp.
I do wish it came with a footswitch. You can use it to switch channels, or, for engaging the mid-boost. For $750, not including the footswitch was a little disappointing. I plan to get one...but that's another $120...unless I build my own.
This amp is a keeper, for sure! It's a nice addition to my collection of small tube amps & will likely become my main gig amp.
One of these days I'll open it up and have a look at the inside--build quality, etc. I wonder what brand of tubes it shipped with, too?
More later.....
Mike
White Spirit
Jul 10, 2014, 1:19:54 PM7/10/14
to
check it out, although we don't get many Engl amplifiers here. Maybe if
I go to Germany.
The other small amplifier that interests me is the Egnator Rebel 20.
Have you tried one of those?
Message has been deleted
Flying V
Jul 10, 2014, 1:39:22 PM7/10/14
to
Great rhythm tone!! For it's size, it's one chunky little "meatball", as I like to call it. I've been very happy with my rhythm tones....but when set for ideal rhythm sound, I have trouble getting good lead tone. That's really the only reason I've continued to shop around. I'd like to find one amp that can do both well.
The Egnater is a very flexible amp, over all. And, being able to mix between 6V6's and EL-84's is very cool. You can adjust the mix between the two tube types, until you find your preferred sweet spot.
The best way to describe the Egnater....it has BALLS!
Mike
RichL
Jul 10, 2014, 10:14:57 PM7/10/14
to
"Flying V" <mik...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:9a9ad540-ce0d-4aa9...@googlegroups.com...
> The one thing to remember--there is an input gain control that affects
> both channels. If you crank it, so that you get distorted tones on the
> clean channel, you're also hitting the lead channel really hard, too. So,
> you won't need to run the lead channel gain very high, at all.
Seems to me that's poor design. I'd think if you're going to have two
separate channels, you'd want to be able to adjust the gain independently on
each!
Thanks for the review!
news:9a9ad540-ce0d-4aa9...@googlegroups.com...
> The one thing to remember--there is an input gain control that affects
> both channels. If you crank it, so that you get distorted tones on the
> clean channel, you're also hitting the lead channel really hard, too. So,
> you won't need to run the lead channel gain very high, at all.
separate channels, you'd want to be able to adjust the gain independently on
each!
Thanks for the review!
Flying V
Jul 11, 2014, 11:01:58 AM7/11/14
to
But yeah...it's a bit strange getting used to it.
Mike
White Spirit
Jul 17, 2014, 8:41:12 AM7/17/14
to
On 10/07/2014 18:32, WB wrote:
> Have both the Rebel 20 and the Rebel 30 heads.
> Paired EL-84 and 6V6's with a 'mix' knob.
> Rebel 30 has 2 channels, footswitch, and reverb.
> They sound very similar.
> Very nice, what would you like to know about them ?
The main thing I'm wondering is how much gain they have; I like a lot of
gain, but I also like amps that cover old school Marshall territory.
Also, how much head-room do they have? Would they compete with a loud
drummer?
> Have both the Rebel 20 and the Rebel 30 heads.
> Paired EL-84 and 6V6's with a 'mix' knob.
> Rebel 30 has 2 channels, footswitch, and reverb.
> They sound very similar.
> Very nice, what would you like to know about them ?
The main thing I'm wondering is how much gain they have; I like a lot of
gain, but I also like amps that cover old school Marshall territory.
Also, how much head-room do they have? Would they compete with a loud
drummer?
White Spirit
Jul 17, 2014, 8:42:41 AM7/17/14
to
has an effects loop, that would cover my lead tone I think.
Flying V
Jul 17, 2014, 11:10:20 AM7/17/14
to
While the Rebel 20 gets me close to what I'm looking for, I've still been looking for an amp that will get me closer. That's why I bought the Engl.
Now the rhythm tone I can get from the Rebel 20 is terrific!! No complaints, at all! And yes--it will very likely be loud enough to compete with a loud drummer. It might surprise you, as far as that goes....
Mike
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